it is amazing to my to find so many people who buys an exhaust system for their bikes' and get sold on a h-d race tuner by the dealer.perhaps the bike owner does not realize that such a modification is over-kill.not to mention pricey.a race tuner has its application when an engine is so heavily modified that a custom map is the only means possible to keep that engine running. im talking about big bore engines with high compression and custom head work done to them.but for the average joe on his stock production tc88 or 96" engine to reprogram his entire ecm, because he wants to put a set of v&h pipes on ??? whewww.........i am not here to promote any kind of efi controller, though i have one on my bike, and it doesnt really matter which kind for now...i am here to help out my brothers in this forum of over buying and ultimately voiding out their factory warranty.
i recently got in to a debate with a service writer at an h-d dealer about this product,he in turn got the service manager and he kindly cleared up the question about the sert. first off sert is a racing product by harley, it has an off road disclaimer on it.the product has no warranty, period! second since yor rewriting your ecm from its stock "factory" settings, warranty on that is now void.(once the sert is programmed into the ecm it leaves behind a code that alerts any h-d technician that the ecm has been overwritten,just in case you ask.)and since the ecm controlls the operating function of that engine,thats right, warranty is void.simply put (by an h-d service manager) the only conponent covered by warranty on your bike is the drive train!
i couldn't believe it so the GM of that dealership came by and agreed with the service manager.and get this.... since h-d is taking heat from EPA it cannot install aftermarket efi controllers so the only choice they have is the "sert".......... thats why the push ......according to the service manager.

 

I'm confused, are you saying the H-D Race Tuner voids the HDwarranty and is not EPA legal? If yes, I agree. Are you saying the SERT does not void the HDwarranty and is EPA legal? I yes, I disagree. Or maybe you are saying the H-D Race Tuner and SERT are the same thing but why would the dealer push it rather then an after market system other thenit being a better tuner and more profit,sorry, I'm easily confused.

 

sert.(Screamin Eagle Race Tuner),is not a street legal product,the disclaimer clearly states that it is for off road use only,( i assume that means the race track).since it has an off road or "race track" application, H-D does not warranty that product. drag racing a harley on a track exceeds the normal use of the bike.harley motor is trying to comply with EPA on both emmisions and exhaust noise issues.technically speeking harley cannot even alter a bikes exhaust if it exceeds 88db noise levels or if that modification changes the emmisions coming out of the exhaust (outside its governed set emmision levels).so in a loophole harley can install a S.E.R.T. on its bikes without raising questions from EPA since it is a harley produced item.However ,Harley MoCo cannot govern what people do to their bikes once they buy them. so installing lets say a fuel pak or a power commander or a terry components efi controller,is up to you.think of it like this, you buy a truck,you whack off the catalytic converter for whatever reason then come smog check time, your vehicle will fail because you have altered the set emmision values that are produced by that vehicle,nor will that motor co. warranty your vehicle if other components of the vehicle fail due to a domino effect of failures caused by the missing cat. converter.Ask your local chevy dealer to rip off all the smog components and emmision controlling units off your new car or truck, they can't ....................EPA rules will not allow them to,Harley MoCo is no different.
So getting back to why h-d dealers are pushing the sert, "$$$" and besides that its the ONLY product they have to their disposal!!!

 

How about the opposite? My dealer put a SE A/C, D&D Fat Cat 2 into 1, and the SE Stage 1 Download. The bike does not run well and needs a PCIII with the correct map to run properly. The SE Stage 1 is not correct for the setup.

 

Suspect: Do us all a favor and have the GM and/or Service Manager you refer to in your original postput in writing that using a SERT to modify the ECM's factory settings voids the MOCO's warranty on the engine or, for that matter, any other component of an under warranty Harley Davidson motorcycle, and post it on this forum.

 

Interesting post! My dealer will only install Power Comander III's and really discourages his customers from running anything else. They will install the SERT but prefer to do thier dyno tuning with the PCIII. The theory is, if you need to, you can remove the PCIII quickly and easily, and go back to the stock ECM should there be any warranty question.

 

I don't know, let's see, running an engine without the SERT: running too lean causing excessive heat buildup within the engine which may lead to premature wear and tear as well as possibly melting your pistons/detonation issues/pinging or installing the SERT and enriching the fuel/air mixture which will let the engine run cooler and allow your engine components to live longer along with better performance..........I just had a SERT installed yesterday by the dealer. In no way did they verbally notify me of this voided warrranty policy if the SERT is installed. They did warn me about not using another brand name oil other than HD brand for the 1000 miles service,which may cause a warranty claim to be denied. If the dealer sells a product that will void the components warranty, they need to put that in writing and have the customer sign off acknowledging that the warranty will be effected by the retrofit. I would definitely argue this point and depending on the engine problem after the install of the SERT with the warranty being denied.........seek legal counsil........

 

I've ordered the PCIII and won't ride my bike until I put it in. Do you think my bike is running lean and or have I already done damage? I've got 150 miles on it in the Texas heat with the SE A/C, D&D Fat Cat 2 into 1, and the Stage 1 download on a Nightster. Runs fine once she's warmed up, but not a happy camper when she's cold.

 

I think we are going in circles here, what is or is not EPAlegal or in violation of HDwarranty is a mute point if the enforcers look the other way, like illegal immigration. However, it is something to keep an eye on if you technically qualify for either one, especially if your dealer goes out of business, changes handsor you require warranty service from another dealer.

 

The race tuner manual is pretty specific about how it's use may affect warranty. I hope nobody thinks for one minute that he is going to convince Harley thatan engine related warranty claim should be honored because he made it better with the race tuner and aftermarket pipes and air cleaner.You start modifying stuff and you're on your own. It's not just Harley, you can't expect any manufactured to honor a warranty claim on a modified piece of equipment.

This product is designed for Race Use Only

Disclaimer & Warnings

This Screamin' Eagle EFI Tuner system is intended for high-performance applications only. This engine-related performance part is not legal for use on pollution-controlled motor vehicles. Use of this Screamin' Eagle EFI Tuner system may reduce or void the Limited Warranty Coverage.